Neji Hyuga Love Story: Into the Dark
by Maisie Hyuga
Summary: Hanae had gone unnoticed by most of the shinobi in her class all her life, but that was before she was chosen along with Neji Hyūga as her partner, for night watch. Neji was a jounin... And much too busy for trivial things such as romance, but what was it about Hanae... -A romantic story of Neji Hyūga, and a girl named Hanae.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter one

Hanae typically went unnoticed until she was 17 years old, a chunin. She was sitting in the old classroom at the academy, right next to Hinata in the back. Iruka, Kakashi, and Gui Sensei, had told all of the current chunin to report there at noon to discuss a de-briefing instructed by Lady Tsunade. The amount of chunin to debrief was far too big and too much work for Tsunade to do, so she simply assigned the minor task to a few Jounin and Iruka Sensei. "As most of you know, Taka, the group of ninja formed by Uchiha Sasuke, has been spotted, vaguely, around the neighboring villages of Konoha." Iruka Sensei said to initiate the debriefing. This created some chatter amongst the group of chunin, not to Iruka's liking. "Listen! This is a debriefing! You can't just-" Iruka started to blurt out when Kakashi, who had his nose stuck in that little orange book of his, leaning casually against the front desk, cut him off and said cooly, "Come on Iruka, they _are_ just recent chunin. Relax a little." Iruka shed off Kakashi's comment, and mildly glaring at him sideways, continued. "Starting tommorow night, we will have a pair of each of you walking the perimeter of the village once at nightfall, every day this week as a precaution."

He started to list off the names of each pair, while Hanae was spacing out, looking at how Hinata stared at Naruto from a far, when she suddenly heard her name called from Iruka. "Tomorrow night, Amagiri Hanae, and Hyūga Neji." Hanae instantly turned to face Iruka and nodded her head once, to show her understanding, and Iruka continued to read down the list. Hanae was paying attention to the debrief, listening to who was with who on which night, when she got a weird feeling in her stomach... Like, someone was, watching her? She looked around the class, eyes landing on Hyūga Neji, looking at her with that cool, stoney expression that he always managed to keep. Hanae was caught off guard by the sudden form of attention, and quickly lowered her eyes to her feet. She felt her cheeks growing hot and could tell she was blushing. When she remembered that he was her partner for night watch, she scolded herself for acting like a child, she should have waved or smiled nicely. She wondered what he was thinking.

Hanae had very few encounters with the Hyūga boy, despite how she and Hinata were such good friends. Any time she would be at the Hyūga Manner with Hinata, she barely saw him, and if she did, he would be brawling with Hiashi Hyūga, Hinata's dad, in the courtyard, very preoccupied. She supposed this was because he was always off training with Team Gui, his squad. But all the training had to be worth it, since he was the only jounin of their class so far. Hanae thought about this and flashed her eyes at him again. Thankfully his attention was now Kakashi sensei, who was saying how if any of us decided to miss out shift for the week, we would have to answer to him, and everyonee knows what Kakashi's punishments are like. "But I expect no less, from all of you young talented shinobi! Especially you Team Gui. You all possess the power youth!" Gui Sensei exclaimed confidently. Kakashi Sensei rubbed his temple from Gui's... Encouraging remark, and announced that they were all dismissed.

Hinata and Hanae walked out together, and Hinata started to talk to her about the new 'mission.' "Hanae your with Neji right?" Hinata asked, and Hanae started to blush, for some reason she could not explain, and nodded. "Oh! Have you ever met him before?"

"No I haven't, he always seems so busy..." Hanae replied, and a small smile grew on Hinata's face, her eyes straying up ahead of them.

"I'll have to introduce you to him then, you know, so it's not-" But Hinata's sentence was cut off by the presence of someone else stopping them from walking. Neji had came up to them seemingly out of no where, and stopped in front of them, looking at Hanae blankly. "O-oh, Neji, we were just, t-talking about you." Hinata stuttered from the prompt encounter. Hanae's cheeks turned a light shade of pink. "I-I was going to introduce you two! Hanae, this is my cousin Neji, Neji, this is-"

"Hanae." Neji interrupted as he switched his glance to Hinata, then back to Hanae. He always seemed so serious, which only made Hanae more unsure of herself in front of him. "Our shift is tomorrow night, yes? We can meet at the front entrance of the village at sundown. Will that suit you?" Neji asked flatly. Hanae simply nodded her head, wide eyed and blushing. "Excellent. I will see you then." He added flatly again, and walked off in the opposite direction, while Hinata watched him.

"He likes you." She said.

"W-what?!" Hanae replied with a shocked, however, not excited, look on her face.

"He does, I can tell! He _is_ my cousin you know. I know him better than you'd think." Hinata said with an innocent smile.

"Ya, well, I doubt it, but I'm sorry, have to go back to my house, maybe I'll see you tomorrow Hinata! Goodbye," Hanae waved and smiled sweetly.

"Goodbye Hanae!" Hinata waved as she walked towards the direction where Neji had gone.

Hanae had never thought of herself as drop dead gorgeous, but she didn't think she was unattractive either. She was comfortable with her looks. She had long, waist length dirty blonde hair, that she wore with a clip to hold back her bangs, brilliant green eyes, and a collective spattering of small freckles over the bridge of her nose, that sort of made her look like she was always modestly blushing. She was about 5'3", and usually wore: black shinobi sandals, with her lower left leg wrapped in bandages, a smallish black skirt with a buckled strap, a kunai holster on her right thigh over upper thigh bandages, a slightly too small grey-green zip up top, grey elbow protecter gloves that scaled her upper arm, although she usually scrunched her left one down, small bandages on her right upper arm, and her forehead protector around her abdomen.

She walked home, to her apartment in the village, and thought about what Hinata had said. She simply chose to ignore the observation. That would never happen. I mean, Neji is a jounin, he doesn't have time for silly, time consuming crushes. She brushed off the conversation, and continued inside her apartment.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Amagiri Hanae, had a very confusing childhood. Her father, a strong leaf shinobi, left for a stratigic mission when she was three years old. The only memory she seems to have of him was saying goodbye. He told her he would return in a few days, with a present for her from the the land of rice fields. Hanae and her mother, Amagiri Katsoko, waved farewell to their loved one. She had never seen him since, and the third hokage of the leaf, announced him as deceased, KIA, along with the others of his squad two weeks later.

Hanae and her mother were devasted, and after that, Katsoko always seemed distant, and distracted, up until Hanae was about five. She had just come from training for the academy, calling out her mother's name in their house. She walked around trying to find her, when she finally reached her parents room, where her mother was on her knees on the floor matt, a kunai held up to her own neck. Hanae screamed, "Mother! No!" And at that moment, Hanae's mother, Katsoko, cut her own throat, killing herself because living with the pain of her dead husband was just too much. Hanae fell to her knees instantly, bawling, in shock of just seeing her mother, her only family, commit suicide.

Luckily, a few of leaf shinobi were walking around the neighborhood, and heard Hanae's desperate cry's. One kunoichi and two shinobi ran into the house and found Hanae and her mother. After that, Hanae only remembers: being rushed out of the house by the kunoichi, who was calmly asking her what happened; seeing her mothers body taken away by two shinobi; and standing in front of the third, sobs filling her throat as she did not know what she had just seen.

It had been around ten years since that had occurred. And a lot had changed. Hanae had buried that memory deep, deep down inside of her. She was always an optimistic, happy little girl, despite her past family... Events. The Kunoichi that found Hanae in that god forsaken house that summer night, took her in and raised her to be a bright, young kunoichi. The woman who became her guardian, was Kurenai Yūhi. Hanae had lived with Kurenai Sensei up until she was about 15, when Kurenai explained that she believed she would be able to live on her own now, as Kurenai was not her parent, and felt it was only right.

As said earlier, Hanae was always happy, although very shy. She kept to herself, a polite little girl. This explains why her and Hyuga Hinata, became such good friends when they were little girls. They grew up together, although Hinata was always recognized more because of her Hyuga Heiress title, and Hanae went quite unnoticed due to her quiet nature. In fact, there was little to no one in the academy who really knew her besides Hinata. But she never developed any sort of bad feelings towards this, she was just too kind hearted to experience traits such as jealousy or selfishness.

Kurenai raised Amagiri Hanae to be very strong, and had managed to even teach her a small amount of genjustsu techniques, although Hanae excelled in ninjutsus and testing in the academy. She was never the strongest shinobi of her class, and this is was one of the few things that bothered her. She was never above average with her shinobi training, and it was a goal of hers to change that some how.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

When Neji reached the Hyūga Manner, he went into his room to mediate for a while before his training with Hiashi that afternoon. He was getting situated when his mind strayed, thinking about his mission tonight. It was a simple task. In fact, he was a little bit frustrated that they weren't spending his time going on more important missions. As he was trying to calculate how long the perimeter of the village would be, he realized he had forgotten about his assigned partner; Hanae. Today in the old classroom was the first time he had noticed her really before. He was unsure of her shinobi capabilities and didn't know her strength. "H-hey N-Neji," Hinata said as she stood in the doorway of his room.

"Hello." He replied.

"S-So N-Neji, I was wondering, if," Hinata looked down at her feet, her face turning a bright crimson. Neji wondered why she was like this all the time, seeing her bite her lip then look up at him, taking a deep breath in. "I-I was wondering what you thought about Hanae!" Hinata exhaled forcefully. Neji took this thought into consideration. In what way did she mean?

"I'm not quite sure. I've never met her before and her shinobi skills are unknown to me." He replied back blankly.

"O-oh. Well, she is my closest friend. And I-I know her very well. So if you have any q-questions, just ask." Hinata said in a hushed voice. "S-she's p-pretty c-cute h-huh?" Hinata stuttered, barely audible to a stoney faced Neji.

"Huh? Why would you ask that?" Neji replied, oblivious to Hinata's intention. He didn't know she could blush much more, but oh, she did, then exclaimed,

"N-Nevermind!" And ran off down to her room, leaving Neji a bit confused. He thought harder about the question, and then thought about the way Hanae looked at him in the classroom, and then during their, well, I guess it couldn't have been a conversation since she didn't really say anything. Remembering her face now, Neji furrowed his eyebrows. She was attractive to him. At least up to his standards. He caught himself there, and disregarded the thought. No time for such foolish thoughts. He simply sat down on his floor matt, and began his meditation.

After and hour of meditation, three hours of training with Hiashi, and four hours of training with Team Gui, Neji was off to the entrance gate to meet Hanae. Tenten accompanied him, as her house was on the way.

"Sooo, you and Hanae, huh?" Tenten prodded him.

"I don't know what your talking about." Neji replied flatly. He felt the smallest blush on his cheeks, and he couldn't understand why. This frustrated him.

"You know what I mean." Tenten remarked, a grin on her face. "Do you even know what to do when your alone with a girl?" She continued, when she realized this was Neji; it's like talking to a brick wall.

"What do you mean by that? I just want to complete the mission successfully."

_Your not completing the right mission..._ Tenten thought.

"I meann, like holding her hand, or something."

"Why would I do that?"

Tenten rolled her eyes. "_Because_, that's what you do to make a girl _happy_ Neji." She pleaded. Looking up, she noticed they had reached the street her house was on. "Alright, well this is where I get off," she exclaimed, "Later Neji! Good luck with Hanae." She grinned at him.

"Goodbye." Neji replied. He thought about Tenten's advice as he reached the front gate; useless. He was five minutes early.

Hanae left her house fifteen minutes before seven. She hated to make people wait for her, so she left a bit early. It was already dark outside, and she saw the sun passing over the horizon line when she got outside. She passed Ichiraku Ramen, and saw Naruto working on his third bowl, sitting at the counter, glowing from the lights inside. She knew she had time, so she decided to say hi. Besides Hinata, Naruto, was the only other person who knew her well. Hanae supposed this was because he knew what it felt like to have no one, just like her. It was something they shared. "H-hey Naruto!" Hanae said excitedly, when she reached the familiar ramen booth.

"Hanae!" Exclaimed Naruto, with that wide, fox like smile of his. "Where are you going?"

"Night watch."

"Oh, who's your partner?"

"Hyūga Neji."

"Oh, ya, Neji's pretty cool, I guess!" The smile reappeared on his face, and he bent his arms behind his head, the way he always does when he's nervous.

"Y-ya, speaking of which, I'm running a bit late, and I should go. I'll see you later Naruto!" Hanae said smiling brightly back at him.

"Bye Hanae!" Naruto stood up and waved goodbye.

Hanae finally reached the entrance gate, right at seven. She felt like she was forgetting something... But then, her eyes grew wide, as she saw Neji leaning against the large red column, arms crossed, and moonlight outlining his figure at the gate. Was she late? She couldn't have been! She approached him.

"Hello." Neji greeted her.

"H-hi." Hanae stuttered. After a minute of silence, Neji continued, "We should start walking."

"Ya." They walked in silence for about a quarter of the way. But Hanae was surprised when Neji blurted, "I've never noticed you much before this mission." Hanae didn't know what to say, or what to feel. Should she be offended? She understood why. She was so quiet all the time, it was not his fault. "I am unaware of your shinobi skills, and do not know your abilities." Neji said flatly. Hanae simply listened, while looking at her feet. "However, you are Hinata's good friend, and it makes me glad." Hanae furrowed her eyebrows and looked up to him. He was looking straight ahead, and continued, "Hinata was never one to make friends. She's too shy. But now I know she has you, so I am comforted she is not completely alone." Hanae didn't know what to say.

"She's my best friend... She always has been," was the only thing Hanae could think to reply.

They walked a bit further, when suddenly, Hanae stopped dead in her tracks. Neji looked At her to see what had stopped her, and her expression startled him. The moon lit up her face, And her hazel, green eyes, were wide open, her jaw dropped, and tears, forming in her eyes. Neji looked in the direction of her stare, ready to fight. "What is it?! An enemy?!"

"N-no..."

"What? What is it then?" Neji looked at Hanae, and returned to his normal stance. Something we deeply disturbing her.

"That... That house," Hanae said, referring to a quite average looking house in front of them. A gust of wind hit them cooly, and Hanae's hair spilled over her face slightly. "That's the house I grew up in. That's the house... Where my mother killed herself." Hanae said as one by one, tears slowly slid down her cheeks. Neji was caught off guard by what she said, and it made him curious about her past, but he figured now would not be the right time to ask. He was looking at her curiously, and assessed in his head that for some reason, he actually _hated_, seeing Hanae so upset.

"Would you like to go inside?" Neji asked flatly. Hanae simply looked up at him sadly, open mouthed, and tears falling down her face, then returned her glance back to the house, and nodded. She began to walk inside the house, with Neji close behind. And after all these years, the house had still not been re-inhabited. He watched as she walked through all the rooms, each one bringing a different emotion out of Hanae. Some brought more tears, some brought small smiles. Up until the last room, filled with white light from the window in the corner, that looked to be a master bedroom. Hanae stopped outside the door, and that's when the crying turned into sobbing. She placed her hand up to her mouth, and ran past Neji, and out of the house desperately. What had happened to her? Neji thought as he continued to look in the room.

Once outside again, Neji found Hanae sitting under a tree, her head resting on her knees that were pulled up close to her chest. When he approached her, Hanae got up and wiped away her tears, even though Neji could see her eyes were still watering. The feeling he got seeing her like this... He had never felt that sort of sympathy for someone before, nor the feeling of desire to make it stop. Then he remembered his and Tenten's conversation; _Becausee, that's what you do to make a girl happy Neji._ Hanae watched as he looked at her blankly, then reached for her hand and intertwined his fingers with hers. She looked down at their hands, caught off guard by the action. She had heard from Hinata that Neji was always cut off from everyone, and didn't care much for showing his emotions. She looked up at him surprised, blushing very hard, and looked into his deep, pearly eyes. She looked down at her feet, and said, "I-I'm sorry... For, interrupting the mission."

"It's alright." Neji replied again flatly. He could feel small invisible blush growing on his cheeks, so he looked away, towards the rest of the road. "We should get going."

"Ya." Hanae replied, relieved he wasn't pounding her with questions.

They walked the rest of the way like that, holding hands and walking in silence, occasionally looking at each other secretly. They had circled all the way back to the entrance gate, a little too soon for both Hanae and Neji, then simply said goodbye to each other, going their separate ways.

Hanae walked back to her apartment, a little stunned with the way the night went. Seeing her old home, filled with happy and tragic memories, conflicted by her feelings... And Neji comforting her. Neji! The guy who never so much as smiled at others. And when he held her hand... She was surprised by the wave of warmth she felt rush over her, and wondered if he felt it as well. He couldn't possibly have feelings for her... Could he? While reflecting on her night, she opened the door to her apartment. She was immediately paralyzed with shock, the minute she stepped in the door.

-

A/N: Cliffy, does Neji actually have feelings for Hanae? And what could have possibly been waiting in Hanae's apartment? Hope you guys like it so far, and like the first connection between them:) I really appreciate reviews and favorites from you guys and I would love to hear your thoughts, opinions, or advice! I will try to update more often, busy, busy, busy, with the last week of school:) to be continued...


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Neji walked back home in the dark of the night, confused as he tried to comprehend what was going on; he just couldn't explain it. He looked up at the moon. He had never felt that way about seeing someone upset, felt that he _needed_, to make it stop. He couldn't bear to sit and watch as that girl cried, as Hanae cried. He had felt something deep in his chest drop when he saw her sitting beneath that tree, tears streaming down her face. That is when he decided what he did was logical, he grabbed her hand simply to make that feeling go away. But why was it there to begin with? He became frustrated with the question, not knowing any real way of answering it, as he reached the front door of the Hyūga manner.

He walked in and went straight to his room, tired from the mental storm going on inside of him. There were all sorts of thoughts swirling in his head as he took off his usual shinobi attire and laid down on his bed. Thoughts and pieces of the day. Seeing Hanae for the first time sitting in the classroom, watching as she contently listened to the debrief, the way she looked at him with those big, green eyes, how she always blushed when he would talk to her, holding her hand during night watch, sneaking a look at her just to see her long, dirty blonde hair swaying as they walked. Neji smiled at the thought. But the smile faded, when he came to a realization. This was not important, they had completed their mission successfully, and that was all the mattered. He fell asleep with this thought.

"_Knock-knock-knock!_" Hinata woke up from the noise. No one else had seemed to hear it, so she went to the door to answer it. She was shocked when she opened the front door and saw Hanae, standing on her door step, eyes swollen and she looked as though she had been crying. "Hanae?" Exclaimed Hinata, "What's wrong? It's so late... Why are you here?"

"My apartment... It was... Someone broke into it while I was gone..." Hanae had trouble saying the words without beginning to cry again, and she held back her tears. "They stole everything I had, and, everything was broken and damaged." Hanae explained. She looked at Hinata pleadingly, and Hinata invited her in. "C-can I stay with you for a little Hinata? I don't know where else to go..."

"Sure, Hanae," Hinata replied sweetly.

The door opening and closing had awoken Neji, and he ran out of his room thinking it might have been an intruder. Shirtless, clad in his plain pajama pants, and missing his shinobi forehead protector. He slid to a stop in bare feet, and saw Hanae with Hinata at the door, both of them wearing the same expression of surprise, their mouths open in an 'O' shape. Hanae looked down at her feet and her cheeks turned red. Neji realized his appearance then, and felt an invisible blush on his cheeks as well. "Hanae, what are you doing here?" Asked Neji as he stood up straight.

"S-she didn't have any place to go... Her apartment was broken into." Hinata answered for her. That is when Hiashi came out of his room, to find out what was going on, Hanabe, Hinata's little sister, close behind her father. "Father," Hinata started to say when Hiashi replied,

"I heard the situation. You can stay with us Hanae, as you are one of Hinata's close classmates." Hanae looked up at Hiashi from hearing her name.

"T-thank you, Master Hiashi.." Hanae tried her hardest not to stutter, and bowed. The moonlight from the court yard was the only thing illuminating everyone in the hall way.

"You can stay in Neji's room. He will sleep in the living room for now." Hiashi said in all seriousness.

"Oh, I couldn't do that, I wouldn't want anyone to have to-" Hanae started to say but was cut off by Neji.

"It's alright Hanae. It's my duty to serve Hiashi. Right now, that means keeping Hinata's close friend safe." Neji said flatly.

Neji showed her to his room, While she hesitantly looked back at Hinata, but all she did was wave and smile at her. "You can ask Hinata or me if you need anything," Neji said, as they reached the doorway, "Goodnight."

"N-night." Hanae replied shyly. She didn't want to be a bother to the Hyūga's, but Neji didn't seem to mind. Even though she was alone, she felt her cheeks grow hot, and she smiled and suppressed a giggle, thinking about seeing Neji shirtless, and without his shinobi head band. That's when she remembered the symbol on his forehead, that she hadn't noticed in the hall. She wondered what it was. Hanae laid down on Neji's bed, looking around his room; It was exactly what she would expect from him. Everything was neatly organized, and his clothes from that day tediously folded on the ground next to his bed. She saw a photo on his desk in a wooden frame, of... Hiashi? It had to be, because it looked just like him.

Hanae knew she had forgotten something when she left for night watch, and that was to lock her apartment door. When she saw what had happened to her apartment, her first thought was where she had to go. She couldn't have gone to Kurenai Sensei's house, she was far to busy with Asuma and their child, and didn't want to burden them. She didn't know anyone else... Hinata was her only friend, and only option. She fell asleep in Neji's bed, thoughts of him dancing through her head.

Neji went into the living room to sleep on the couch, a little stunned that Hanae was sleeping in his bed currently, and how she had seen him in his indecent state. He wondered what she thought of him... Why did that matter? He grabbed a blanket and settled in on the couch. He reprimanded himself mentally. There is no time for such insignificant feelings.

Neji woke up early, confused with where he was at first, then remembered what had happened the night before; Hanae. He got up and re-folded the blanket he had used, and placed it back on the couch. He walked to his room and stopped in the doorway. Hanae was still asleep. He resisted the urge to smile. She looked so peaceful and innocent when she slept. He looked around his room with his eyes and found his clothes next to his bed. He went to go pick them up, and Hanae slowly opened her eyes, waking up to Neji very close to her face. "Oh, Neji, I didn't see you there..." Hanae said in a very groggy morning voice. She had gone to bed at at least midnight and it was only 5. Neji tried not to laugh, as this was not the usual shy Hanae, she must be half asleep.

"I'm sorry I woke you, I just needed my clothes." Neji said flatly.

"Oh, ok, well, bye then." Hanae mumbled and rolled back over, going back to sleep. Neji felt a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth as he walked out.

Hanae woke up about three hours later, content, until her memories from yesterday rushed back into her mind and hit her hard. She sat up, remembering she was in Neji's room, and got up to find Hinata. She heard forceful noises coming from outside, and she walked into the hallway to see Hiashi and Neji brawling in the courtyard that was in the middle of the Hyūga Manner. Neji turned his head to look at her, and she could swear she almost saw a hint of a smile on his lips. Hiashi took the opportunity to place an attack on Neji, and Neji fell to the ground on his elbows, with a loud thud. "I let my guard down. I'm sorry." Neji explained to Hiashi, looking confusedly at his feet.

"It's alright. Hanae," Hiashi turned to her. "Was Neji's room suitable?"

"Oh, uh, yes, very much so. Thank you." Hanae replied.

"Good. You'll be staying here until you are able to recover your apartment." Hanae nodded her head in understanding, then looked around a little blankly. "Hinata is out on a mission with her squad. She told me to tell you she was sorry, and that she would be back in a few days. Neji," he turned back to face him. "With Hinata gone, I'm going on a business trip dealing with confidential matters tonight. I will be back home tomorrow night. I am taking Hanabe with me, and expect you to handle the manner until I return. You don't have any missions have you?"

"No, uncle."

"Alright then. We are done with sparring for the day. It was nice to be able to service you Hanae." Hiashi said, as he walked out of the courtyard.

"I-I'm sorry for interrupting your match." Hanae said politely and walked into the moderately sized square of land that was surrounded by half open hallways.

"It's fine. I am supposed to be going to meet my squad for training anyhow." Neji said as he got up and brushed himself off.

"Oh, ok." Hanae replied. Neji realized Hanae would be pretty lonely if she stayed here, and said,

"Hanae, you're welcome to accompany me, and from there you can choose to stay and train, or go into town. Whichever you please."

"Oh, sure! I'd l-love to."

"Alright, let's go." They walked out of the manner and Neji wanted to know more about her.  
"So, what are you most skilled at?" Neji asked starring straight ahead. Hanae assumed he was referring to her shinobi abilities, because they were obviously very important to him.

"Well, m-my tai-jutsu needs some improvement..." She trailed off, "But my nin-jutsu is well!" Hanae exclaimed, not wanting to present herself as weak to Neji. "I am very good at being able to center and focus my chakra... I've thought about becoming a medical-nin before."

"Haruno Sakura is one of the best medical-nin I've heard. You should ask her for help."

"I-I've wanted to... But I just d-don't know how..."

"Naruto could present your situation to her, I know you are familiar with him." Neji said blankly.

"How did you know that?" Hanae didn't remember telling him this.

"Oh, well, Hinata told me." Neji said, realizing she wasn't aware that he had talked to Hinata about her before. "About your tai-jutsu... I would be willing to help you train, it's what I am best at." Neji said flatly, feeling something rising in his throat as she contemplated her answer. Was he nervous? He hoped she would say yes.

"If it doesn't take up your time... Y-yes, I would like that." Hanae said feeling a blush growing on her cheeks.

"Alright, when I am done with my squad in two hours we can meet back at the manner. We will train there."

"Ok." Hanae accepted.

They walked all the way to Neji's training point, and stopped when they saw Tenten and Lee. Lee was just wearing a confused look on his face, while Tenten grew a wide, toothy grin, and waved obnoxiously at the two. "Hey guys!" She exclaimed as Neji and Hanae walked up to them. "Looks like night watch went well." She mumbled to no one in particular. "Hi Hanae." Tenten said with a polite smile, and excitement in her voice.

"H-hello." Hanae wasn't used to being recognized, nor people actually knowing her name. She supposed this was because Neji had told Tenten it. Did they talk about her? Tenten turned to face Neji,

"Is she training with us today?" She asked impatiently.

"Well, it is up to her actually."

"Oh, I-I'd love to stay and t-train, but, I n-need to pick some stuff up in town." Hanae said quietly.

"Oh alright! Next time then." Tenten said.

"I will see you back at the manner, Hanae." Neji said flatly.

"B-bye!" Hanae waved and smiled, then walked off in the direction of town from the familiar training grounds.

It didn't take Neji long to realize what he had just said in front of Tenten. "You'll see her WHERE?" She gaped. Neji just rubbed his temple.

"Excuse me, but Neji, who was that girl?" Lee was simply confused because he had never seen or met Hanae before.

"Her name is Amagiri Hanae, and she was my partner for our mission last night." He turned to face Teten. "She is also staying with Hinata, because her house was broken into."

"How convien-" Neji shot her a menacing look. "Inconvenient! How inconvenient for her..." Tenten said in a pitiful voice, that didn't quite reach believable. They decided to start, and began with Neji and Tenten brawling.

Hanae reached town 15 minutes later, and pulled out a list of things she wanted to pick up; Groceries, Bandages, and with a star next to it, talk to lady Tsunade. Hanae went to do that first, as it was the most important.

She walked into the large, windowed room, when Shizune said the lady could see her now. Tsunade was sitting at her usual place behind the paper work flooded desk, hands together, and looking over a folder underneath them.

"Amagiri Hanae." She started. "Chunin of 16 years. Apartment was broken into one night ago, no sign of any theif." Tsunade looked up from her file to look over Hanae, and leaned back in her chair.

"T-that's correct my lady." Hanae bowed slightly. Tsunade looked outside the window nearest to her, over the village of Konoha.

"There's been a lot of break-ins recently, I'm not sure what it's about. I'm sure we'll be able to help you compensate, but you'll have to wait until the end of the month."

"Thank y-you." Hanae smiled. She wasn't sure what it was about the Lady that made her feel so insignificant, but she was sure scared of her.

"I personally chose every single one of you shinobi, and yet, I don't seem to be acquainted with you yet." And she turned back to Hanae, who blushed, embarrassed that not even the Hokage really knew her. Tsunade looked back down at the file. "You seemed to be an excellent student at the academy, with nearly perfect grades. Your tai and gen-jutsu aren't your strong points, but you're chakra usage seems to be very acceptable. Have you thought of becoming a medical ninja?"

"Yes, my lady."

"Well, in the meantime, I suggest you spend some time with my apprentice, Sakura. Perhaps you could learn something from her, it's no use to wait over this break-in dilemma. Just stop by the hospital anytime she's working, so you can get acquainted with each other."

"O-ok, I-I will." Hanae smiled and nodded her head politely.

"Well if thats all, you are excused Hanae."

"Thank you my lady." She bowed and stepped out of the room, letting out a small sigh of relief. Now for the other things on her list.

"Byakugan!" Neji exclaimed and flashed a hand sign. Tenten was really trying hard today, he didn't think he would have revert to his kekke genkai. A rain of kunai and shuriken came down on him, however they were immediately deflected, using his eight trigrams palms revolving heaven. He stopped and looked around, not seeing her in the open, until his Byakugan sensed her in the trees above him. He ran forward, in the opposite direction, and knew Tenten was following his trail. He suddenly ran up a tree and flipped backwards, landing behind her in the brush. "Gentle fist!" He exclaimed, and got ready to finish her off. Then stopped, and regained his upright position, breathing hard from their brawl, and Tenten stopped too. "You almost had me," she said in between breaths. "Good job."

"Do you give up?" Neji said, a small tone of arrogance in his voice.

"Course not." She replied, that smile never vanishing.

"I could have ended it. You have to be able to know when your opponent is fooling you. I was running in the opposite direction, while using my Byakugan, creating a sense of falsity." Neji retorted.

"Ya, ya, let's get on with your and Lee's brawl huh?" Tenten said as she jumped out of the tree with Neji doing the same, and Lee approaching them.

"You two are truly inspirational! I am lucky to have such strong opponents as teammates!" Lee exclaimed and shined his bright smile. "Ok Neji, it is my turn now." He continued with an edge of confidence. Neji thought about what time it was, and realized it had almost been two hours; he needed to start walking home to meet Hanae.

"I have to go now. I'm-" he started to say but changed his mind. "I'm going home to train with Hiashi for a while. I'm sorry Lee." And began to walk off. He couldn't explain why, but he didn't want to admit that he was going home to be with Hanae.

"Sheesh, always so serious huh, Lee?" Tenten said as Neji left, with her hands on her hips.

"Yes, but that's one thing that I admire about Neji. It's what makes him such a strong opponent!" Lee gleamed. "Ok Tenten, it is your and my turn now!" He said and got into a fighting stance to begin, with Tenten whipping out her first scroll.

Hanae wanted to pick up groceries for the manner with what little money she had. She couldn't help but feel bad for imposing on them by staying there. She was on her way to get new bandages, grocery full-paper bags in her arms, when a purple jacket and long black hair caught her eye in the street.

"Hinata!" Hanae cried out, and walked towards the girl. Hinata spun around, surprised to see Hanae in town. "Hinata, Hiashi told me you were going on a mission, why are you here?"

"Oh, well, I had to stop to get some supplies before we left, we'll be gone for a few days." Hinata explained.

"Oh, ok then." Hanae wondered if she should tell Hinata about the current house situation, with Hiashi leaving Neji and her all alone. But when she was about to start, Naruto suddenly approached the two, backpack strapped on.

_Oh no_. Hanae thought.

"Hey guys!" He exclaimed, with a wide grin on his face.

"N-Naruto... W-what are you doing here?" Hinata's said as her face turned bright red and she stumbled on her words. Hinata had had a crush on Naruto since they were young, and Hanae was always front and center to observe it, being such close friends with the both of them. Since he returned with Master Jiraya a couple years ago, Hanae noticed major differences in him, like how much he had grown, taller than both of them now, and not only that, he just seemed to be older, and grown out of that boyish look, more like a man, his voice deeper as well. Of course this only fueled ever blushing Hinata's shyness towards him. Hanae smiled.

"Funny you ask Hinata," he smiled and scratched his head. "I'm actually going on a mission with you and your squad. Granny Tsunade request that I go, something about needing some extra strength or- Whoa Hinata are you alright?" Naruto's smile faded and was taken over by a real look of concern. Hinata looked as though she could pass out, and wore a strange surprised expression as she looked at Naruto. Hanae gasped a little, the whole situation making her want to blush too. "H-hey, we should get going so we're not late, huh Hinata?" Naruto said with a hint of unsureness in his voice. All Hinata could do is gently nod her head, and Hanae saw this as her time to leave. She didn't want to tell Hinata about staying home alone with Neji, she looked like she had enough stuff to deal with right now on her own.

"Bye then!" Hanae smiled and waved to her friends.

"Later Hanae!" Naruto grinned, as he began to support the very woozy Hinata with his shoulder. Hanae took one last glance at them and walked away, towards the hospital. She thought she would stop by to see Sakura now, since she was in the area. Hanae had never actually talked to Sakura before, even though she had been in her class through out their academy days. She reached the hospital, and walked inside to find a young looking nurse at the front counter.

"I-Is Sakura in today?" Hanae asked politely in a quiet voice.

"Hm? Oh yes, she is. Her desk is down that hallway on the left." The nurse pointed down a hallway on their left, and smiled.

"Thank you." Hanae smiled back and continued down the hall. She looked to her left to find a bob of pink hair, behind stacks of paper work. Hanae could feel her throat closing up; she was never to good at talking to strangers. "Ms. S-Sakura?" She asked timidly.

"Yes?" She looked up from her desk.

"H-hi, I'm Hanae." Hanae introduced herself and blushed. Looking down at her feet she extended an open hand to Sakura. They shook hands.

"Nice to meet you Hanae! I'm Sakura," she said with a bright smile, "You look familiar... Were you in the academy with me?" Sakura furrowed her eyebrows saying the question. Hanae blushed and looked up at Sakura wide eyed.

"Oh, y-yes I was..."

"Huh! That's funny, I guess we never really met then." Sakura said and scratched her arm smiling. "W-Well Hanae, how can I help you?"

"Well, you see S-Sakura, I, um, Lady Tsunade told me I should c-come and see you... For help with my chakra centering. I sort of have a knack for it." Hanae said quietly.

"Oh, In that case, I think I could help you! I would love to help teach you to become a medical ninja, if you want." She replied with a small smile.

"S-Sure! That would be great, Ms. Sakura."

"Just Sakura is fine. If you come back tomorrow at noon, we can go during my lunch break."

"O-ok, thanks, Sakura!" Hanae said excitedly. "Excuse me, I have to go now, but I will see you tomorrow I g-guess." She smiled and waved at her newly found acquaintance.

"Goodbye Hanae!" Sakura smiled and got up to wave goodbye.

After that, Hanae started to head home. She wasn't expecting to make that visit to the hospital so she feared she might be late. On her way back to the Hyūga Manner, Hanae thought of what her and Neji would do; She was nervous almost. Neji is the Hyūga clan prodigy, and the only jonin of their class. She frowned at the thought. But quickly after, she remembered her goal. She looked up to see the Hyūga manner in the distance. Ever since the academy it had been her goal to be a better shinobi. She had always been average, and she wasn't about to give up on her dream.

She opened the door to the Manner, and walked inside, closing it behind her. She went into the kitchen to set down the bags of groceries she had bought. It was pretty quiet and she walked around until she reached Neji's room, only to find him sitting in the middle of the floor on the floor mat, meditating. "Neji...?" She began to say and he swiftly stood up and turned around.

"Oh, Hanae, I am sorry I didn't hear you come in." He almost looked confused at this thought. "Well then. Would you like to start training now?" Neji said. You could almost hear a hint of excitement in his stoney voice. Hanae looked at his completely cool expression, the one that never seemed to fade.

"Sure, if your ready." She said lightly.

"Ok, follow me." He passed her in the doorway, and Hanae followed him out into the courtyard. Neji thought for a moment. How should he start this? "Alright, we will begin with your skills. Try placing an attack on me." Neji's face grew even more serious, as if that was possible, and got into a fighting stance. Hanae did the same. She looked him over, and thought about what she should try first. She ran straight for him, deciding she would try and take him head on. She jumped and prepared to kick Neji, her right leg straight in front of her. Neji simply caught her foot and spun her over, ending with Hanae flat on the ground. He couldn't see her face, and he feared he was being to hard on her. But she got up on her elbows and turned around, a bright smile on her face. This almost made him laugh, she was always so positive. She got up and brushed herself off. "The problem with that attack, is that you don't have enough training to take your opponent head on, such as Rock Lee might. It's too obvious."

"Hn." Hanae nodded in understanding. Listening, was always her strong point. She furrowed her eye brows. She would have to try harder.

"You mentioned earlier you were quite well at centering your chakra, I believe you should try this during your tai jutsu moves, to make up for your inabilities. Ok, try coming at me again, this time, using your chakra." Neji said flatly. He got into his stance again and so did Hanae. She focused a small amount of chakra into her feet, and ran at him, exactly like last time. She began to jump up again, and Neji got ready to reciprocate his previous move, but Hanae quickly pulled her foot back and centered her chakra into her hands, laying a punch right on Neji's chest, resulting in him being pushed back, not falling, but holding his ground, and skidding back to a stop. He looked up at Hanae, who was breathing a bit harder. She was still looking down, recovering from her act. Neji smirked, that rare smirk that was the only other expression his face could manage to make occasionally. Hanae looked up at him, and smiled a small, sweet smile.

A/N: Alright! Sorry for the late update guys, ive been working on this chapter a ton, and wanted tot extend it and make them longer for you guys! Appreciate reviews and favorites and what not:) thanks!


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